Blood on the Sand
by DwarfTorja
Summary: When Lumos gets thrown onto the planet of Pandora, she soon learns that It's not entirely safe. Not long after, Mordecai hops off of Marcus' bus, wanting to revisit Fyrestone. When they have to work together to get to the Vault, what will Mordecai make out of it? - Rated M for future chapters and adult language. Mordecai x OC - Also featuring a creature of my own creation. R&R?
1. A Hunter and a Newbie

**A/N: Hello there fellow Vault Hunters! I've recently gotten into Borderlands, and not completed it as of yet … So all of this is just based on what I've been told. The character development for both Lumos and Mordecai will be fun, trust me. I hope you enjoy this first chapter of Blood and Sand, which really needs a better name, so feel free to give me suggestions throughout the story. c: **

**Chapter 1**

As night began to fade away upon the dusty land of Pandora, a flash of light cast across the dark area, which faded as quickly as it had appeared, a thud following it closely. On the floor, a girl sat up, her eyes wide with shock, and her hands trembling. Her icy blue eyes scanned the area carefully, and not a single sign of life was visible. She shakily stood to her feet, leaning against a post for support, her legs trembling for an unknown reason. A rumble of a rusty old engine emanated from far away, and she felt nervous suddenly. Wherever she was, she wasn't safe, and she knew that already. Just by looking at the dank and dusty landscape, she knew wherever she had been sent to, she might not get out alive; As if on cue, gunshots sounded nearby, the ricochet of the bullets ringing around in the – what appeared to be – canyon. She placed one shaky hand on her waist, feeling she had a belt wrapped around her hips. Glancing down at herself, she noticed she wasn't wearing what she was previously. She was wearing rather short shorts, with fishnet tights on underneath, accompanied by knee-long boots. She appeared to be wearing a navy-blue vest top, and her hands were covered with gloves, the thumb, middle and index fingers on both hands were bare. She raised her head to touch her hair which was short and ragged, simply flopping over as a side fringe, what hadn't changed was the colour. Light blonde with blue highlights.

The girl looked down at her belt, which on the left hand side had some sniper bullets, and on the right, a revolver - then she realised on her back was a sniper rifle. Her mind whizzed with the thoughts and confusion of why she was in this place, and where she was, but as she was about to step out onto the road, a bus pulled up.

Mordecai

About six years ago Mordecai first came to Pandora, and for some fucked up reason, he was here again. He didn't know why he was here, he just was. It wasn't the first time he'd ended up on some mad planet, and almost gotten killed, but it puzzled him as to why he returned. He was almost sure he was insane. Mordecai stared absent minded out of the window, while Lilith, Brick and Roland were deep in conversation. He considered ditching the idea of staying here for a bit, and going back to his home planet, but then he remembered, where was his home planet? He didn't know if it was earth, but he guessed as much.

He glanced to the front of the bus, where Skags hissed at the ginormous metal transport, and a smirk lay on his lips as he remembered them watching their brother get torn to pieces by it. His gaze returned to the rocky hillside, where he pondered whether much had changed. Beside him, Bloodwing hopped onto his lap, and stared up intently at his master. Mordecai's disguised eyes looked at his pet, and he moved his hand the scratch the strange birds' chin, before pulling out a small tin from his pocket, and feeding it some Skag meat. The bird cawed happily, gulping down the flesh it had received, as Mordecai placed the tin back in his pocket and stroked the birds head as it nestled in his lap. Mordecai soon looked back at the horizon, which had turned to distant mountains. He paused and watched the sun peer over the horizon. This meant it was almost day time, and it also meant they were near Fyrestone …

"… Don't you agree, Mordecai?" Mordecai was knocked out of his little fantasy, and turned his head briefly to the other three, who were looking at him expectantly.

"Hm?" He asked bluntly, looking out the window again. Lilith laughed, and repeated her question.

"Don't you think the bandits would have resettled?" The Siren smiled at the Hunter, her amber eyes glowing. Mordecai nodded once.

"More food for Bloodwing." He murmured simply. The three ex-vault hunters looked at Mordecai like he was crazy. Roland leaned forwards in his seat and studied the back of Mordecai's head like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

"What's up with you, Mordy?" He asked, whilst a shiver ran up Mordecai's spine as the nickname repulsed him. "You haven't been right since we met back up." Mordecai shrugged. He didn't know what to say to that. He'd always been this way, hadn't he? He was sure of it. Roland sighed, and gestured a clueless expression before slumping back in his seat, however, the bus skidded to a halt.

"A'right." The bus driver, Marcus, grumbled, a cigarette between his lips. "This here is Fyrestone. Next stop is Dahl Headland if yous wants to go there." Mordecai nudged Bloodwing, who hopped onto his shoulder.

"Mordecai?" Roland murmured, as Mordecai headed for the exit.

"I'll catch up." He didn't look at them. "I want to go look around here for a bit." With a gesture with his hand as a farewell, he had hopped off the bus, the eyes of the other three ex-vault hunters watching his back. "Go on." He said softly, and Bloodwing cawed as he took off and started to fly above Mordecai. A voice suddenly interrupted his serenity.

"Excuse me?" Mordecai stiffened, and turned his head, staring at the smaller girl. Unlike with bandits and Lilith, his eyes did not wander. Instead, he focused on her expression – She looked tired, confused, and unprepared, totally not worthy of Pandora. His hand slithered to his side, ready to pull out his pistol and just put her out of her misery there, but something stopped him, which was strange, because usually he'd go straight for the kill. Bloodwing sensed it too, and landed on the bus shelter roof, his eyes flicking between the girl and its master. Mordecai took a better look at the girl in the brief time he had – She was slim, very slim in fact, but not tiny and fragile. Her hair, cropped quite short, but meeting her shoulders at the back, was a mixture of light blonde and blue, which wasn't strange, considering Lilith and her sister, Maya. The strange girl wore a navy-blue vest top, which was tucked behind a belt that held up her shorts. Underneath her shorts were fishnet tights and covering some of those were knee-high boots. Mordecai also took note of the revolver, sniper and blade that were tucked away amongst her items of clothing.

"Excuse me," She repeated nervously. "Could you tell me where I am?" Yet another itch to kill her, he thought privately. Why had this girl come here and not known where she was? Only an idiot would go somewhere they didn't know existed, if that were even possible.

"Pandora." His voice came out huskily, which he thought sounded ridiculous, but to her, it appeared to be a miracle.

"Pandora?" She repeated, her eyes filled with wonder. "I'm sorry, I have no idea where this is …" Mordecai looked around irritably.

"If you want to be more specific," He muttered. "You're just outside of Fyrestone." He held back his urge to retaliate to her cluelessness.

"Fyrestone?" She repeated again, her gaze looking apologetic. "I'm sorry; I don't know how I got here. There was this weird light, and suddenly I was here." She looked fretful, almost scared of him. Mordecai assumed it was because of his guns, so he kept to himself.

"A light?" He asked, digging himself a hole just to not be rude. He leant against the side of the bus shelter, folding his arms as though to not impose as a threat. The girl nodded slowly.

"I don't remember much," She looked at the dusty ground and kicked at it awkwardly. "Only that I was walking through a field, and then I appeared here, lying on the ground in a completely different outfit, and equipped with guns." Mordecai paused at this strange occurrence.

"Did you get a message from anyone?" He mused, only remembering one case of this kind of incident. She girl looked thoughtful.

"Actually, yes." She mused. "But it was very subliminal, and said to not panic." Mordecai nodded.

"And she told you to not tell anyone," He continued, noticing the girls surprised expression. "And to not panic, and pretend no one is talking to you." She nodded.

"That's right." Mordecai pushed away from the shelter, taking a few steps forwards, and looked thoughtful. Could this mean the Vault was back? He believed there was only one, and they had looted it. Perhaps there was another? But it only opened every 200 years, so why was she sent here? He looked at the girl curiously. Obviously there was something special about her, but what if there _was no_ vault? What if it was a _hoax_? He reconsidered dubiously. But what if she was sent here to meet _him_? He put his hands on his hips and looked up, sighing. No, he couldn't be that stupid and foolish. But it seemed like he should help her, but what if he wasn't meant to? For once in his life, he felt like he should follow his thoughts, but as he went to ask her, she piped up again.

"She contacted me again." _That explains the silence …_ He thought. "She said you can know. She said you were destined to help me find the vault." Mordecai's fist clenched. _But it only opens every 200 years! _He nodded.

"I'll help you." He agreed, a slight irritated pang hit his voice, and she sensed it, but did not comment on it. "Follow me." He turned, and started walking towards Fyrestone, the girl in suit. He edged closer to a fence, and looked around the corner carefully, studying the bandits.

"What's the matter?" The girl whispered, her head only just behind his shoulder, and it sent a shiver down his spine to be so close to another human.

"Bandits." He replied, trying to keep his cool.

"How many?"

"Seven."

"Weapons?" He blinked, and took an uneasy glance at her over his shoulder. _Is this kid for real?_ He grumbled in his head, before replying;

"Five with pistols, one with a sniper in the tower, and one with an SMG in a tent." He heard a gun cock behind him, and turned around suddenly, prepared to defend himself, as Bloodwing swooped down. The girl held her hands up, and Mordecai's arm raised, Bloodwing instantly coming to a halt. "Rule number one;" He growled. "Never, under any circumstances, cock a gun behind me. If I don't get you first, Bloodwing will." The bird cawed in agreement. The girl lowered her arms, the gun pointed at the floor, as if a sign of obedience.

"Rule number two;" She murmured, as he turned away again, yet he kept his head turned to listen to her. "One never kills nor hurts a friend or comrade." He looked at her briefly.

"I wouldn't say we're friends." He muttered, pulling out his pistol. He guessed she looked hurt, but she walked past him, a hardened look on her face.

"Nah. But we're comrades." Her expression was serious, as she turned the corner, in which Mordecai went to grasp her top. _Idiot!_ His mind shouted as he gestured to Bloodwing, who flew over to the blonde girl. Ricochets of guns filled his ears, and Mordecai span round the corner, aiming his pistol furiously, only to look at the girl with her hands up, surrounded by the headless bodies of bandits. Mordecai's jaw dropped a little, and his hands fell heavily to his sides, before putting the pistol back in its pouch. Mordecai felt a smile hint at his lips, before he noticed the Psycho dashing round the corner, an SMG clasped in its grubby hands. Before he could even point it out, the girl span around, her revolver drawn quicker than lightning, and the Psycho was suddenly lying lifeless on the floor, one perfectly aimed bullet hole in his chest. This time Mordecai couldn't help the smirk.

"You know," He murmured with amusement. "I think I'm beginning to like you." The girl looked at him triumphantly, sliding her revolver back into its pouch.

"It's about time someone did." She commented, her face suddenly filled with an untold story of sadness and desperation. Before it could get to her, she held up a hand to him. "By the way, I'm Lumos." She smiled at him, her blue eyes shining in the morning sun. "Lumos Mortis." Mordecai nodded, and shook her hand in return.

"Mordecai." He said simply, before their hands broke away and they began to walk to Fyrestone.

_Well…_ Mordecai thought privately. _Maybe we could be friends._ Before he knew it, he'd finally begun to trust someone other than Bloodwing, who flew over the two, and unlike a lot of other people he had met, Bloodwing seemed to be happy with Lumos. He gazed up at the bird, and smirked again. Maybe he'd finally be able to be happy with a friend who he could trust. He looked down at Lumos, who turned to him and smiled, before focusing on the village of Fyrestone.

For once, Mordecai felt happy.


	2. The Kraag

**A/N: 'Ello, Torja here. Here's the second chapter. c: I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Borderlands is a great topic to write about. **

**I own nothing, apart from the Kraag and Lumos Mortis. Everything else belongs to 2k and Gearbox. **

**Chapter 2**

As the duo walked into the town of Fyrestone, a taint of static and tension filled the damp air; Mordecai shifted his gaze to Zed's house, if it may be called that, and started to walk towards it, whereas Lumos had a different intention. Mordecai nodded at Zed, and slid through the door that was always locked, but Zed knew he was coming. Zed always knew, no matter what it was. Mordecai pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, and shone it around the small, dark room, before his eyes found what he was looking for. He picked up two snipers, one was his beloved DVL350 "Fearsome Thunder", which he immediately traded with the Simple Sniper on his back. The other was an LB1170.G "Crimson Invader", which he carried in his hands after he put the torch back in its pouch. He walked outside, the sniper not weighing much in his small hands, where Lumos was crouched on a roof, eyeing a revolver she had found. When she realised Mordecai was watching her, she laughed nervously, and jumped down, before comparing her revolver with the one she had picked up.

"Yours is better." Mordecai said simply, the sniper now slung over his shoulder. Lumos looked at him, a little surprised that he could tell without even firing the Revolver, but she shrugged, and chucked the new one aside.

"It was only a bandits." He murmured, tapping his fingers again the Sniper. "Theirs are all crap." He hesitated while Lumos slid her Revolver back into her pouch, before holding the sniper with both hands and pushing it towards her. "Have this." He murmured, glancing at the sniper on her back. "It'll be much better than yours, and it sometimes causes explosions. Should be fun." His expression was stone cold, Lumos noted, but took the gun out of his hands, and pulled her old one out of its holster.

"I'm not even sure I know how to use snipers." She commented. Mordecai stared at her, slightly irritated, but he shrugged.

"It's easy." He muttered, and gestured for her to follow him. They approached Skag Gully, and Mordecai gave her strict instructions, telling her everything he knew. "It's better if you crouch, that way your aiming won't be too off." Lumos went on one knee, and peered through the scope, keeping her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. Mordecai studied her posture, and she seemed more of a natural, then he took a step back as her finger squeezed the trigger, and a Skag Whelp exploded in the distance. Mordecai's eye brows raised under his mask, and he exhaled, with a slight exaggeration.

"You say you've never done this before …" He grunted, before turning away. "That was-"

"Mordecai?" He turned to her, and she looked worried. "What's that?" She pointed to the horizon, where a huge Skag-like creature stood, although it had the posture and height of a horse. It's head was almost like a skull, and when Mordecai looked at it through the scope of his sniper, he noted that it looked as though it had six eyes, Four much smaller than the other two. Spikes stuck out on its head, shoulders and rump, and it had a long thin tail with a tuft at the end, a bit like a Zebras. Its front legs had Skag paws, but it's back legs had hooves, with large amounts of fur that covered the back. Out of its mouth a long, knife-like tongue slid out, fangs either side of its jaw. Mordecai growled, not seeing one of these … _things_ before, and quickly aimed for its front legs, and squeezed the trigger on the sniper, the creature lurching forwards and rolling onto its side, its front legs collapsing beneath it.

"What are you doing?" Lumos cried, jumping up and running across Skag Gully. Mordecai watched her in surprise, as he didn't think she would have cared, but she seemed to think the opposite. He ran after her, trading his sniper from his pistol, shooting down the Skags that bounded towards her. He went to call after her, but a bandit tried to shoot him from behind, and he turned and shot a bullet straight into its head. He ran faster towards her, and called on Bloodwing to take care of the remaining Skags as he neared her. Lumos was knelt down in front of the creature, and it was trying to attack her with one of the horns on its head, but it was too weak. She studied its wounds, and pulled out a bandage in her pocket, ripping it in half with the blade she carried, and tying each one around the creatures' legs tightly. Mordecai watched as the creature seemed to take in Lumos' kind intentions, and he saw it relax. All of a sudden, he felt guilty; very guilty. Lumos stood, and the creature attempted to stand, leaning against Lumos for support.

"Why did you shoot it?" She murmured, not looking at Mordecai as she spoke, instead, she was stroking it's skull-like face while it leaned against her for support. Mordecai stayed silent – He assumed most living things here were evil, and this creature probably would have killed them, or tried to, if he hadn't shot it. He sighed, and walked towards Fyrestone. "Where are you going?" Lumos asked him, but she didn't seem angry. It was almost like she couldn't be. Mordecai raised a hand, and it quickly fell to his side.

"Back to Fyrestone; Zed might know something." He walked away, and glanced up, before he stopped and looked behind him at Lumos helping the creature towards Fyrestone. What struck him, and what made him feel extraordinarily uncomfortable, was that Bloodwing had perched himself on a rock besides the creature and Lumos, and he was staring at Mordecai intently. Mordecai looked at his pet and shrugged, and the bird squawked, before launching into the air, flying slowly above, but not far in front of Lumos. Mordecai felt almost … _Rejected._ He shrugged the feeling off of his shoulders, but it tried to creep back into his head, and he walked quickly back to Fyrestone, kicking at the dirt occasionally as he did so.

"A Kraag." Zed looked at the creature with admiration. "This is a Kraag. They're very rare." His gaze turned to Mordecai, and he looked almost disappointed. "Which leads me to the question … _Why exactly did you shoot it?_" Mordecai rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"I thought it would attack us." He admitted. "So I shot it." Zed was now knelt down looking its wounds while it growled irritably.

"Did the fact you'd never seen one affect you?" He asked, pulling out a healing vial and injecting it into the Kraags' leg. "Luckily these work of most life-forms …" He mused, chucking the vial aside, and using another one on the other leg. Mordecai fell silent. He was _sure_ it was going to attack. Why was his instincts taken so badly? It wasn't fair at all. He looked at Bloodwing, who was watching the Hunter, perched on the desk. The bird cawed, and hopped onto his shoulder, before nipping at his face. Mordecai pulled the tin out, and fed Bloodwing some Skag meat, who ate it hungrily and then rubbed its feathered head against its master. _So that's what was up …_ Mordecai thought, slightly annoyed.

"He should be fine." Zed murmured, patting the Kraags neck like it was a pony of some kind, but the creature went to bite him, and Zed jumped back. "But they're not the friendliest of critters." He commented. The Kraag turned its head, and gazed at Mordecai, its black eyes shining with mischievousness, almost like it was giving him a warning. Bloodwing squawked at it, and flew up to it, before perching on its back. Lumos and Mordecai stared at the two creatures as they stared at each other, and then suddenly accepted each other. Zed watched their behaviour, and looked at Lumos carefully.

"It looks as though helping it had you an easy tame." He murmured. "You can get harnesses for Kraags, but it's uncommon they accept a rider." Mordecai growled, and leant back on the desk.

"You mean to say," He said smoothly. "That these … _Kraags_ … Are a form of transport?" Zed eyed him, and nodded. "But the spikes on its shoulder would disable you to-" As if it understood, the spikes on the Kraags shoulder flattened, and it looked at him, a cheeky glint in its eye. Mordecai fell silent again, and Lumos piped up after a moment of silence.

"So Kraags are like earth's horses?" She asked Zed, the Kraag turning its head to her and nosing her lightly. Zed looked thoughtful for a moment.

"In some ways." He shook his hand, and put the two vial's he used in a disposal bin. "But they're much more dangerous. Luckily for you," He nodded to the Kraag. "They shouldn't attack now you have him." The Kraag raised its head and turned at Bloodwing sharply, snapping its fangs in his face, making it squawk and fly back to Mordecai, who outstretched his arm for the large bird. Lumos nodded, and looked at the sudden tension between Bloodwing and the Kraag, but she knew they would had to get used to each other. The Kraag turned, and walked away, sniffing at the ground as he did so, then his head raised, and noise like a bird, but much deeper, and more beast-like emanated from its mouth. Lumos heard the cries from where she was, and the Kraag hissed, its long tongue escaping its mouth.

"Bandits," She looked back at Mordecai, who was petting his bird, which then took off to examine the situation. Mordecai stood and walked over to Lumos, peering round the corner at the numerous bandits that were eyeing up the Kraag. Mordecai wouldn't have minded if the Bandits had taken the Kraag, but he sighed, and pulled out his sniper. He knew he couldn't do such a thing, because this Kraag now meant something special to Lumos, and Lumos would never hurt Bloodwing. He eyes them up, and aligned two with his scope, and shot, both dropping at the same time. Lumos has pulled out her Revolver, and she ran towards them, shooting them down, but one had her off-guard, and was much too close for gun contact. The bandit went to grab her, and Mordecai realised he couldn't shoot, for he would hit her, too. He growled in desperation, but then Lumos reached back and bulled out a blade, quicker than anything he had ever seen, and it went straight through the bandit, who fell limp to the floor when Lumos drew back the blade.

Mordecai jumped off of the roof, and jogged towards her, feeling somewhat concerned. He touched her shoulder lightly, and she turned suddenly, but realising it was him, calmed down. She put a hand on her arm, but not before Mordecai noticed why. He grabbed her hand in an iron grip, and pulled it away, staring at the wound in her arm. He recognised the wound instantly, and a fire of rage started to burn in his belly.

"Who did this to you?" He growled suddenly, feeling angry, and somewhat confused by his emotions. Mordecai guessed that's what happens when someone hurts a friend. Lumos raised her good arm, and pointed across Fyrestone. Sure enough, the Kraag was stood over a bandit, one Skag-like paw on its chest as it whimpered for its freedom. Mordecai approached the bandit, and pulled out a pistol. The Kraag looked up at Mordecai, and raised its head, understanding what the Hunter was going to do. Mordecai shot both of the bandit's legs once, in the arms, and once in the stomach.

"I hope you rot while you're alive." He growled viciously. "So you can feel death overcome you." The Kraag stared at Mordecai with vast amusement, and stood back as the bandit cried in pain whilst lying on the dusty floor, surrounded by its own blood. Mordecai joined Lumos again, who was clutching her arm tightly, and a grimace covered her face. Mordecai pulled a health vial out of his pocket, realising it was his last, but it would numb the pain. He injected it just under Lumos' wound, and he called over Doctor Zed, who handed him a bandage. Mordecai's hands were surprisingly soft as he wrapped the bandage around Lumos' arm, and Lumos watched him carefully, ignoring the pain. So sort of admired the Hunter, his sleek look, and rough attitude, but he was kind and caring under the skin. She was almost positive he wasn't often like it, as he was very awkward when they first met. Mordecai looked up from typing the bandage, and noticed the sun setting. He looked at Lumos, before standing and helping her up.

"I'll fetch some bedrolls." He murmured. "We'll set camp here and move on tomorrow." Lumos nodded, and watched him leave, as the Kraag approached her, and nudged her wounded arm softly, a whine escaping its mouth.

"I'll be fine." She murmured, patting its neck and watching Mordecai return and set the bedrolls out, before collecting some wood and making a fire.

The two humans and the two critters sat in silence for most of the night, and it was Mordecai that fell asleep first. Lumos watched his peaceful state, not a scowl or frown upon his face. It was odd, really, as he always seemed to be in some kind of bad mood, but he looked so … so _innocent_ as he slept. Bloodwing squawked quietly at her, his eyes watching her intently, and he appeared to be telling her to get some rest. Lumos felt comforted by the bird, and obeyed its suggestion, and she fell asleep before she could even realise how tired she was.


	3. Death, Blood and Bandits

**A/N: Hello Vault Hunters! Thanks for waiting so long for this chapter … I've completed Borderlands! Well, I've had it done for a while. 3 days until the second, now! :3 This chapter has a bit of drama in. I think drama brings the two closer. I'm an improviser, so I write as it goes. No story board or anything. xD I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! ~DT**

**Chapter 3**

Halfway through the night, the pain in Lumos' arm began to kick in again, thus she woke with a start. The Kraag they had adopted yesterday was lying beside her, and it looked up when she sat up. For Lumos, the previous day was a blur; She appeared on this Planet, Pandora, met a guy called Mordecai, who blatantly had a few issues, mainly with trust, befriended one of the rarest of creatures on the planet, and got shot in the arm by a bandit. Lumos ran a hand through her hair, and turned to look, at Mordecai, who had disappeared. In his stead, Bloodwing perched, his crimson eyes staring at her intently. She was considering getting some more rest, but the sun had just started to peer over the horizon, so she sat in front of the burnt out camp fire, and began to hit two bits of flint together until the fire was reignited. Bloodwing jumped down from his seat, and hopped over to Lumos, jumping into her lap and looking up at her hopefully. Lumos smiled at the bird, and scratched its chin in silence. Bloodwing sat in her lap contently as she made a fuss of the bird that appeared to have become quite fond of her. Neither of them realised that Mordecai was stood nearby, a stick slung over his shoulder with bits of Skag hanging off of it. The Hunter felt surprised – The bird had never approached anyone apart from when he was to kill them. Part of Mordecai felt jealous, but another part, a bigger part, felt happy that the bird accepted his newly found friendship, and just like him, the bird trusted Lumos.

"He's never approached anyone like that before." He murmured, making both Bloodwing and Lumos jump, the large bird swooping up into the air and landing beside Lumos. Mordecai smirked slightly. "You should be pleased – Especially since he's not ripping your face off." Lumos looked slightly disgusted, which amused Mordecai immensely. Bloodwing squawked with annoyance and flew over to his master, landing on the Hunters shoulder and giving him an irritable peck on the cheek. Mordecai ripped off a bit of Skag meat and fed it to the bird, whose attitude changed immediately after. He looked back at Lumos, and she was staring at the fire, an unreadable expression across her face. Mordecai rested the pole with the meat on a bit further away, and sat on Lumos' left, but not quite close to her, watching her intently.

"I'm sorry if that bothered you." Mordecai apologised, turning his gaze to the campfire when Lumos broke her trance and looked up at him. "I was always considered … Weird." Lumos stared at him, blinking at him briefly before laughing nervously and reaching out at the Kraag that was sniffing at her wound.

"You and me both." She watched the Kraag as it nuzzled against her hand. "They didn't like the fact that I could handle a gun, and happily shred up a bird, or a fox." She looked solemn again, her hand falling back into her lap. Mordecai stared at her, a wave of sympathy hitting him. She was exactly like him; born on Earth, called a freak because they liked to hunt animals, and grew up pretty much friendless. His blood suddenly began to boil, and Bloodwing picked up on it, squawking and flying over to Lumos again.

"People shouldn't treat yo- … Others like that." He stopped himself from saying what he wanted. _People shouldn't treat you like that! You're lovely, I don't understand how anyone couldn't over look your hobbies and not see the true you, how bea-…_ If he said that, she would surely get the wrong idea. _She wouldn't have really, would she?_ Mordecai stared at the ground. What was he _thinking_? What the fuck was wrong with him? A smack of reality hit him in the face, and he hated every fucking second of it. He couldn't, he fucking wouldn't. He took a sidelong glance at her, and she was looking at him in a sort of surprise. He mentally growled, and sat upright, his hands on his knees. "What I mean is-"

"I know what you mean." Lumos looked away, and she looked hurt. Mordecai didn't understand why, and it kind of hurt him, too. "I'm going for a walk." Lumos stood up suddenly, the morning sun warming her back as she walked away. The Kraag followed her at a slow pace, looking back at Mordecai with a sad expression. Mordecai nudged Bloodwing, and fed him another piece of Skag.

"Make sure she doesn't get hurt." He murmured. "If trouble comes, use the caw." Bloodwing nodded his feathered head once, and took off into the sky, soaring after Lumos and the Kraag.

Mordecai waited a few minutes, and then he began to slowly pace around their little campsite, occasionally kicking up dust as he did so. _Something_ _is fucking with me. _He thought bitterly. _It's not fucking fair, I've already fucked up and I've known her for about a day._ His thumb and forefinger rubbed his temples as he stood still briefly, his head was pounding and he was quickly losing his temper. He should have fucking stayed with Lilith, Roland and Brick, then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to deal with all of this fucking bollocks, and he could be sat there eating some fucking Skag meat in the morning, instead of facing his fucking feelings. Mordecai clenched his teeth tightly, until he could feel the muscle pull against his jaw. Something was definitely fucking with him, because he'd never been put in this situation, and he'd never felt so fucking worked up about it. His hand left his face, and both fists tightened into balls as he tried to keep himself under control, but he was suddenly overwhelmed, and he whacked his fists into a piece of metal, a loud "Fuck!" emanating from his mouth. He didn't deny it, he wanted to cry, and in reality, he almost did, but Bloodwings' caw snapped himself out of the fantasy, and he jolted forwards towards the birds cries, grabbing his sniper as he did so. It didn't take him long to find the bandits, but the biggest trouble was, was that he couldn't see Lumos.

"Fucking kid." He growled, looking through the scope at a bandits head, and shooting the bandit down. Bloodwing noticed his masters return, and started to attack at some of the other bandits. The Kraag was charging at the bandits also, and they had tried to rope it, but the animal was too strong, taking the bandits' lives with its horns. Mordecai felt enraged, and it was almost like what he had dreamed of; Himself, Bloodwing, and his guns, oh, and a _lot_ of dead Bandits. However, he didn't feel complete, like part of his dream had gone elsewhere, and it frustrated him. He took the bandits down one at a time, before following Bloodwing into the centre of the town, where only a few remained, as they had tried to protect themselves by straying outside, and only getting themselves killed. Both Bloodwing and the Kraag worked together to destroy the bandits. The Hunter sniped down at least seven more, before he approached a hut that Bloodwing was pecking at, and shot open the lock. Lumos was sat in the back, and he quickly noticed the condition she was in; She was covered in scratch marks, and the bandage over her wound was ripped off. Her hair was messy, and her top had slices in, some of which had blood underneath. Mordecai felt sick at looking at her, but when she realised he was stood there, she stood up quickly, and didn't look sorry for herself, only for him.

"Mordecai, I-" She began, but Mordecai was too enraged, and he interrupted her with a shout that was almost as loud as thunder and as quick as lightning.

"What the fuck, Lumos?" He slammed his hand against part of the hut. "Never pull a stunt like that! Do you know what could have fucking happened? I could have lost you today!" Lumos stared at him, and she also looked a bit angered.

"Why the fuck should you care?" She launched back at him, her eyes glistening with tears. "No one else ever did, so why should you?" Mordecai stared at her in disbelief, as he watched the young girl pour her heart out to him, and it was obvious to him that she never had to anyone. "All of my life I've been thrown in the dirt, treated like some kind of vermin that isn't supposed to exist, and now all of a sudden, out of the blue, someone wants me safe? I'm sorry Mordecai, but I don't work that way." She was about the barge past him, but Mordecai put his hand on the door frame so she couldn't pass him without ducking. She looked up at him, angry, hurt and confused. Mordecai simply stared her down without saying a word, and she sighed sadly, bumping her head against his outstretched arm.

"I'm sorry Mordy." She murmured, closing her eyes. Mordecai didn't even twitch at the nickname this time. It was different now, because she wasn't teasing him with it. "I've never had a proper friend before. I still don't understand the concept of trust and friendship. I'm sorry I got myself into trouble, they just kind of attacked, and there were too many of them for Blood and Death to help me." Mordecai blinked.

"Death?" He asked, his eyes filled with curiosity. Lumos nodded, looking up at him.

"Deathclaw." She looked at the Kraag, who held his head up proudly with his new name. "The Kraag." Mordecai glanced at Deathclaw, then looked back down at Lumos, who was staring at the dirt. He suddenly felt guilty for his outburst, and he gently touched her cheek, but when she looked at him he drew his hand away.

"I'm sorry too." He murmured almost hoarsely. "I was … _scared_. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Lumos snorted, and he looked at her with a tint of disappointment.

"Not be able to find the vault, I suppose." She said bitterly. "Mordecai, if you want, we'll find the Vault quickly, so you can go your separate way." She looked apprehensive, and her blue eyes were filled with pure sorrow. "I know that's all you really want." Mordecai felt like he'd been kicked him the stomach, and he wanted to scream. That's not what he fucking wanted at all!

"Lumos …" He murmured, "Do you … Really think it's like that?" For once, sadness filled Mordecai's words, and he looked at the back wall, his eyes closed, dreading the response – apart from there wasn't one; He looked to his side, and Lumos had gone. He growled, and Bloodwing instantly went to follow the Kraag with Lumos on its back plundering away in the dust. "Idiot!" He spat, and chased after them on foot. Adrenaline ran through his veins and kept him moving, no matter how out of breath he had gotten. He couldn't let bandits take her again. To his surprise, he was stood outside Fyrestone where they had set camp, and she was sat back there, Bloodwing in her lap again, and Deathclaw stood nearby. Mordecai walked up behind her and sighed, sitting next to her in silence. Bloodwing looked up at his master, and cawed quietly, as though he were trying to tell him something. Bloodwing and Mordecai could feel each other's feelings, but all Mordecai felt from Bloodwing was desperation and confusion. Mordecai supposed, briefly, that Bloodwing knew what Lumos was feeling, but he knew that wasn't possible. At least, he didn't think it were. The thought ran through Mordecai's head, but he didn't suppose it was true at all. He held his head in his hands, and sighed; a headache was coming on, that's what he _did_ know.

The silence that fell in between the duo was almost unbearable. Bloodwing shuffled, and pushed his head underneath Lumos' hand, who ducked her head slightly, and pressed her forehead to the birds, who squawked in comfort. Mordecai watched the two with their foreheads together, and he knew Lumos thought that he just wanted to get to the vault and leave her just like that … But he also knew it wasn't true at all, and it hurt him so much. He continued to gaze at the pair, Bloodwing nuzzling against Lumos, trying to comfort her. Mordecai felt himself giving in rapidly, and it was when Deathclaw nudged his arm and Bloodwing cawed softly he moved closer to Lumos. When he did so, his hip was touching hers, and his hand ran up her back and rested on her shoulder. Lumos murmured to him sadly;

"Do you just want to get to the vault …?" He squeezed her shoulder and shook his head.

"No," He said simply, and she looked up at him curiously as he rapidly thought of a reason why he wouldn't leave her. "You're my friend." Lumos smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks for caring." She murmured, and Bloodwing squawked happily.

"My pleasure." Mordecai, and for once, he smiled. It wasn't a fake smile, or a smirk. It was a real smile, and the emotion running through him made him feel extraordinary.


	4. Zer0 as a Number

**A:/N: Hello again! Sorry for the long wait, but people appear to be enjoying this story (I've gotten a few favourites recently.). This is where it gets into Borderlands 2. Be careful, because there will be spoilers! I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

**Chapter 4**

The duo had fallen asleep side-by-side that night; Mordecai's arm had fallen around Lumos' waist. As the sky started to brighten, Mordecai woke. He lay awake in the early hours, simply wishing the moment would never end. Bloodwing was perched on a plank of wood, one eye open and looking carefully at Mordecai, who was almost certain he saw a glint in the large birds' eye, but if he had, it had vanished. He took the moment of Lumos' sleepiness and silence to take in her scent – it was warm, and it reminded him of home. He suddenly realised if they'd ever be in a home together, and if they'd be better there than Pandora. Then the thought struck him – Lumos had come to Pandora not out of her choice. She simply ended up there … Surely she'd end up being teleported back again. The thought made Mordecai feel a bit sick, and sadness rose from his stomach. He really, really didn't want her to go. He'd miss her too much. He was about to lean over her, and study her face, but she was already looking up at him, her azure eyes gazing into his, glinting with an unnerving happiness. It should have made him feel happy, calm and collect. But something made him feel physically sick, and it made him a little angry. By this time, he was more careful with his anger, and it didn't show, but Bloodwing still cawed with slight aggravation. Lumos smiled at him, and he sat up rather awkwardly, acting as though he hadn't gone to lean over her, and that he didn't have his arm around her waist. Instead, he stared at the burnt out fire, when all of a sudden, Bloodwing appeared in front of him, and squawked angrily, before taking off and flying elsewhere. Mordecai watched the bird flap its wings and fly away, not even hesitating to look back. His eyes were wide, and he felt guilty for some reason, as though he were missing out on something. The Hunter stood, and walked towards a barrel, hoisting himself upon it and he sat there in silence, waiting for something to happen – More or less for Bloodwing to return. Lumos appeared beside him, and she put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Mordecai sighed, and looked at the dusty floor, feeling useless and weak. Deathclaw snarled in the background and scraped his claws against the ground, his spikes shaking a little.

"Did I do something wrong?" Lumos murmured to Mordecai, and he shook his head in a quick response. He didn't know why Bloodwing flew away so furiously, but he had none the less. Mordecai felt something in Pandora had changed, and he didn't know what it was.

"Bloodwing's just grumpy." He said simply. Lumos pushed her mouth to one side, and looked up at the sky awkwardly, staring at the strange shape on the moon. She hadn't noticed it before, but she thought finding Bloodwing would help Mordecai out a little.

"Let's go and find him." She suggested, Mordecai looking at her, doubting the bird would return quickly, but he nodded anyway. Lumos saw the anxiety in his expression, despite only being able to see the bottom half of his face, and she quickly reached up and pressed her lips to Mordecai's cheek, patting his back. "We will find him, I promise." She reassured him, picking up her guns and slinging them onto her back. Mordecai simply stared at her back as she did so, fascinated that she made such a move. No one had ever done something like that before. But they were only friends …. Right? Mordecai felt a blush cross his face. _My god._ He thought. _I'm so fucking soft._ He'd never been so … mushy around someone before. He kind of … _liked_ it.

It was much different to Moxxi, and he was certainly not attracted to that mong. He was paid handsomely to even be with her, but he never kissed her properly; that and she was only around for a week or so, despite all he went through for her. That bitches hands were always all over him, and it ticked him off a lot. This was different, however; Much, much different. There was no money involved, and Lumos was nowhere near his pants, which was certainly a good thing. She had kissed him, yes, but it was only on the cheek and it was a comforting gesture. Mordecai hated it, but he wished it wasn't so brief … And it was then he gave in, and finally admitted it.

He was falling for her.

The Hunter and Lumos had looked everywhere for Bloodwing on the Eastern Coast of Pandora, and finding him seemed thin now. Mordecai was much too stressed, and after annihilating a bandit camp, he sat down heavily and ripped off some Skag meat from a fire and chewed on it hastily, trying to take his anger out of something other than himself and Lumos, who watched him rather carefully. It had been at least three months after she had first arrived on Pandora, and also since she first met Mordecai. She reflected on how far they had come, and how Mordecai was very arrogant, shy and ignorant at first, and how he would now smile at her, and laugh with her. Well, it would have been that way, but he had lost hope, she knew that. Lumos was incredibly upset about their luck in not being able to find Bloodwing, but she wondered if the bird had flown off for a reason. She just hoped nothing bad had happened to the bird …

That night, when Mordecai was asleep, Lumos lay awake, staring at the stars, and wondering where they should look next. She gazed upon the haze of light on the horizons of cities, but she knew Mordecai preferred the countryside. Her azure eyes fell on the Hunters calm face, and she wondered if she should go alone, but the thought of leaving him was almost upsetting. During her pondering, she heard a rattle of metal, and noticed some barrels moving slightly. Reaching for her pistol, she sat up, staring into the direction the noise came from. Her eyes fixated on them, making any note of noises or movement, but there were none. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp object dig into her back. A noise from behind her frightened her; a voice as cold as ice, and as sharp as shards of glass. It seemed as though the person was submerged in a tunnel, or they were very breathless.

"Don't make a move, or I will destroy you." She was frozen, and she swallowed hard, glancing towards Mordecai – He was still asleep. It was probably for the best seeming as he wouldn't hesitated to kill the person … if it were human, anyway.

"What do you want?" Lumos asked, trying to keep her voice steady and quiet so Mordecai wouldn't stir. The knife at her back lightened, as though her words had calmed the attacker.

"I want to know where the Vault is." Lumos blinked, and turned her head to look at the face of the voice … Except there wasn't one. The person had a large black helmet covering his face, and he was clothed rather darkly, a large zero on the left side of his chest. Lumos stared at his mask, wondering if the eyes underneath were friendly, or filled with bloodlust.

"I was asked to find the Vault too." She murmured. "But I don't know where we're going." She looked a little guilty, but the man stood up and sheathed his sword, before vanishing and appearing on a barrel, sat down and studying their light fire. He looked rather content for someone who was previously going to kill her.

"Very helpful …" He mused, and he was staring at her intently, filled with a newer trust, although the man had never trusted before – much like Mordecai. Lumos forced an awkward smile, and held a hand out to him.

"I'm Lumos, by the way. Lumos Mortis." The dark man looked down at the girls friendly gesture, registering she was in no way a threat. He nodded once, and shook her hand twice.

"Zer0." He seemed to laugh, but no noise came from him. "With a zero as the 'o'" Lumos smiled at him. Why was it so easy to make friends here, but not on Earth? She was so damn simple here, but on Earth she was hated to the brim.

"Interesting name, Zer0." She let his name roll of her tongue. "I'm guessing that's why you have a 0 on your chest." A nod. "And what do you do? Sniping?" Zer0 shook his head and laughed silently again.

"I am an assassin. I assassinate people." Lumos giggled softly, and stared down at Mordecai, who also caught the Assassin's attention. "Who is your friend?" _He's very simple._ Lumos thought, smiling at the tall dark man.

"This is Mordecai." She smiled down at the sleeping Hunter. "He's a little difficult to get along with, but he's a wonderful person. Arrogant and naïve, but wonderful." Zer0 picked up on her words, and he turned to face a blue-haired woman, stood further behind him.

"I wondered when you would return." He said simply, and the woman approached cautiously. "These are Vault Hunters." The woman seemed to look more comfortable, and she folded her arms and leant awkwardly on one leg.

"My name's Maya." She said with a hardy voice. "I'm a Siren." Lumos blinked – She'd never heard of a Siren before.

"I'm Lumos." She replied, smiling sweetly. The Siren looked her up and down, almost looking disgusted.

"So …" _She almost looks like she's trying to impress Zer0,_ Lumos thought, as the Siren continued. "What do you do? What's your special ability?" Lumos blinked.

"I don't really have one." She murmured. "Not one I know of." At that moment, Deathclaw raised his head, and grumbled a little, before standing and walking towards them. The Assassin and the Siren appeared alert, and Maya instantly pulled out an SMG, but Lumos dashed in the way of the Siren and the Kraag.

"No!" She shouted, as the Siren looked even more disgusted than before. "He's not bad, he's friendly." Zer0 disappeared and reappeared by the Kraag, looking fascinated by the beast. He examined its fangs, its claws and its spikes as it stared at Maya angrily.

"This is a fine animal." Zer0 commented, and looked at Lumos curiously. "May I ask how you managed to tame one?" Lumos began to speak, but Mordecai interrupted sleepily.

"I shot it in the legs." He grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his cheek wearily. "She helped it to Fyrestone and Dr. Zed healed it." The Hunter began to walk towards her, and he seemed very blank, Lumos noticed. She rubbed his shoulder when he was by her side and he gave her a small comforted smile. Zer0 looked at the two curiously, and Maya spoke up, a hint of arrogance in her voice.

"It would take a lot to tame a beast like that." She murmured, looking at the Kraag with nuzzled Lumos' arms. "I reckon if you had any kind of talent, it would be that." Lumos laughed uneasily.

"I don't know about that." She looked up at Mordecai, whose eyes were in slits at Maya behind his thick goggles. He didn't know what she wanted, but she seemed stuck up about it, and to the point where it had annoyed him, so he stayed quiet. Lumos looked up at Zer0, and she hesitated to ask the big question.

"Zer0 …" She murmured quietly, but he heard her as though she had yelled it. "We're looking for Mordecai's bird, Bloodwing." The Assassin knew where this was going, and he knew he needed to help them to get to the Vault. "Could you help us find him?" Zer0 nodded almost instantly, and he looked at the rising sun.

"We will start immediately." He turned to Maya, and she nodded and ran off in the opposite direction. "We saw a bird on our travels. Large in size, Dragon-like wings, and a white head with a brown body." Mordecai suddenly lit up.

"That sounds like him." His voice was filled with a new hope, and Lumos was kind of envious Zer0 easily achieved that, but Mordecai's face fell when Zer0 continued. "However, the bird was headed west, which means he's going towards Hyperion." Mordecai tensed at the Assassin's words.

"What's there that's bad?" He asked worriedly. "What will Hyperion do?" Zer0 held a strong voice, that clearly hinted that the bird, nor them, may make it alive.

"Handsome Jack is now the leader of Hyperion." He said bluntly. "He will do anything to test slag or anything on a bird as rare as Bloodwing." Mordecai's fist tensed and Lumos felt it against her hand, so she brushed her hand against his. Surprisingly, Mordecai's hand unravelled, and her gripped onto her hand tightly, sending her a silent message. Lumos squeezed his hand, and looked up at him; he was staring down at her, and she could see his eyes faintly, full with fear and desperation. She wanted to hug him, kiss him and tell him it would be okay, but she couldn't. Not here. Not now. Not ever. She would have to leave Pandora someday, and she couldn't let herself get so close to Mordecai - She'd only end up ruined.

The four of them trekked to Western Pandora across two days. Each step Mordecai took was strong, and filled with determination. He wouldn't let this Handsome Jack fellow ruin his chances ever again. They firstly headed to Sanctuary, and Mordecai was very familiar with a few people who greeted him, Lumos noted, and he even smiled at some. Zer0 lead them to a house down the end of an alley, and he opened the door with a key he had received. Mordecai initially saw Tannis, and nodded at her once. The crop-haired female rolled her eyes, raised a hand and receded to the back of the room. They clambered two sets of stairs, and all of a sudden, Mordecai grinned. Lumos followed his gaze, and in the room they had walked into, a tall man stood, his brown eyes happy to see a fellow companion.

"Mordecai." He murmured, and punched the Hunters shoulder. "How have you been? It's been a while." Mordecai folded his arms and nodded.

"Roland." He replied. "It's not great. You haven't seen Bloodwing, have you?" Roland laughed, and the large bird swooped through the door and landed on Mordecai's shoulder, pecking and nuzzling at his face. "Nope. Not at all." The Soldiers laugh rumbled in his chest at the Hunter scratched his birds chin, and kissed its beak. "He's been here for a few months now. I think he was bored, and wanted you to find him." Mordecai stared at his bird, which looked overly happy that his master had found him, and then he pecked his cheek again.

"You're a naughty bird." The Hunter commented, and Bloodwing squawked happily. He turned his attention to Lumos, and looked at Roland, gesturing to the small female. "This is Lumos Mortis. I met her after I left the bus to Fyrestone." Lumos nodded to Roland politely.

"Nice to meet you." She murmured, smiling at the Soldier, who nodded in return.

"You too." He smiled briefly, then looked at Mordecai, who picked up the signal and nodded quickly.

"She handles anything perfectly. When I met her, she claimed she'd never held a gun in her life. It just came to her." He looked down at her admiringly, and she blushed and turned away.

"I had a good tutor, and I …" She paused. "I'm a quick learner." Roland stared at the two, and then laughed again, before saying;

"Welcome to the Crimson Raiders, Lumos." He grinned at her. "Here, we're one big, annoying family." He nodded at Zer0 and Maya, apparently already familiar with the two. Two other people walked through the door behind Roland, and Mordecai looked even happier. "This is Lilith, and this is Brick." After the greetings from the other two people, the ground suddenly shook, and Mordecai immediately grabbed Lumos' arm, which was noticed by a few people in the room.

"What was that?" Lumos asked, a worried look on her face as Mordecai let go quickly, hoping no one had noticed, which of course, they had. Roland turned and stood on the balcony.

"Sanctuary is being attacked."


	5. No Bloodwing Left Behind

**A/N: Well Howdy! This chapter is definitely the most interesting so far … But there ****_are_**** spoilers! HUGE ONES. So make sure you know everything about Borderlands 2. I'm fiddling with the storyline, and only focusing on things that are important to Mordecai or anyone else that have a big role. **

**Also, here's some info on ages;**

**Roland: 25 (Original; 34)**

**Lilith: 21 (Original; 27)**

**Mordecai: 27 (Original: 39)**

**Brick: 29 (Original; 36)**

**Lumos: 22**

**I'm guessing you can see why they were tweaked. :P (Imagine a 22 year old with someone who's 39? xD Awkward.)**

**Chapter 5**

"Sanctuary is being attacked!" Roland cried, and Lilith ran off of the balcony, and jumped onto a roof below.

"We have to get Sanctuary into the air!" She cried. "It's the only way!" Roland gritted his teeth and yelled back;

"You could be killed!" Lumos easily picked up that Lilith and Roland cared about each other a lot.

"I'd rather keep you alive than put everyone in danger." Her yellow eyes filled with pain, and Roland reluctantly agreed. He turned to Mordecai.

"Get some Eridium from the safe, and give it to Lilith." He demanded, and Mordecai nodded, and jogged to the safe. Lumos could pick out the ranks here; Roland was the leader, Lilith was the Leaders "Wife", Mordecai was a sidekick, and Brick … He was all muscle, so he was probably the defender. It was interesting, really. She suddenly wondered; how could she fit in here? What role would she play? Before she could ask Roland, Mordecai appeared next to her, a glowing purple rock in his hand. She stared at it, but then he ran off, and also jumped off of the balcony, heading towards Lilith. Bloodwing was perched on a table in the centre of the room, which had a map of some kind on, and the Crimson Raiders logo hovering above it, flickering occasionally. He turned his head, and cawed quietly to Lumos, before pointing his beak to the balcony, and hopping onto her shoulder. She walked to the balcony, then also jumped down to the roof, running towards Mordecai and Lilith. Bloodwing was flying beside her, and when they neared Lilith and Mordecai, a bright light filled her vision, and she found herself staring at Sanctuary rising far ahead of herself. She looked around, but she couldn't see Mordecai, she could only see Zer0, who turned his head to her, and shrugged. Lumos gazed at Sanctuary again, but then it vanished in a purple light. She whirled round, Zer0 directly behind her, and his black helmet seemed ominous all of a sudden.

"We must find a way to-" Before he could finish, Mordecai's voice rang through their ears, and Lumos noted the ECHO device that some cheeky bugger slipped into her pocket.

"Come and meet me in the Wildlife preserve." He said, in a worried voice. "You probably can't reply to me, but don't worry. Just try to be quick. The Hyperion's are- bzzzzzzt." Nothing but the crackle of static. Lumos' adrenaline hit her, and she ran wherever her instincts would take her, Zer0 following closely behind, faster than the young girl, but matched her pace behind her easily.

It took one whole Pandorian day to reach the Wildlife Preserve. Lumos and Zer0 had found a Catch-a-Ride station, where they spawned a car and drove at full speed towards their destination. They bounded across the fields of grass and dirt, running up a small mountain where Lumos had spotted Mordecai sniping some creatures. When she reached him, something was amiss. He looked worried, a little pale and sick. When he turned to face her, he looked as though he could have vomited.

"I really need your help." He whimpered, all of his bravery had vanished, and all Lumos could decipher out of him was a scared child. "They've taken Bloodwing. They've taken Blood. I need you to get him out of there, please, I beg of you. He's got some Intel on Hyperion and I need to get it here. We went to go check it out, but they got us and Bloodwing bought me some time to get away … Only they took him away from me." Lumos stared at Mordecai, too shocked to speak, and Zer0 nodded, glancing at Lumos and recognising her inability.

"We will find your bird." He said strongly. "We promise." Mordecai nodded gratefully, looking a little more comforted.

"I will do my best from here," He coughed, and Zer0 lunged off of the mountain, waiting for Lumos to follow him, however Lumos stared at Mordecai before walking towards him and placing her hand on his cheek, feeling how cold he was.

"We'll find him." She repeated. "Bloodwing is strong. He will help us get both us and you away from here." She looked at Bloodwing's perch and picked up two feathers – one she put in her pocket, the other in Mordecai's hand. "Be safe, Mordecai. I'm coming back for you, and I'm going to be the one to kill Handsome Jack." Mordecai nodded, and kissed her forehead before she left.

"Be careful." A small smile appeared on his lips. "You're all I have." Lumos blushed, and nodded, before following Zer0 towards the Wildlife Sanctuary.

Annoyingly enough, they had taken down at least 70 Robots, 27 Skags and 50 Rakks before they even reached the pens. Lumos stared into each pen, trying to locate the bird, but to no avail. They walked along the long corridors for at least ten minutes until they found a massive door, with the name "BLOODWING" in block capitals above it. Lumos hit the switch, and peered inside the massive room, walking along the artificial dirt until she stood in front of a large tree. She looked at the floor, and picked up a feather, comparing it to the one she had picked up in Casa Del Mordecai.

"_He's not in there?_" Mordecai's voice came from her ECHO device. "_Damn it!_" Then came a hard, daring voice, which Lumos immediately located it to be Handsome Jack.

"_Looking for Bloodwing?_" He asked maliciously."_Oh. I moved her a few hours ago. Somewhere a little more … Dramatic._"

"Damn it." Lumos cursed out loud, and Zer0 stood behind her silently, the Assassin being curious to his surroundings, but he turned, and waited for any signals.

"_I saw some commotion in the Observation Wing._" Mordecai said. "_Maybe he's in there._" Lumos looked at Zer0, and nodded, having scanned the premises before they had come, and knowing exactly where they were going. When they left Bloodwings pen, Handsome Jack's voice returned.

"_Hey, you know what I just remembered?_" He was chewing, and it was highly annoying. "_It's feeding time!_" Lumos and Zer0 stared at each other, and then at each Hyperion force field as it fell. Zer0 immediately unsheathed his Katana, and Lumos pulled out a high power pistol, her eyes filled with hatred. One by one, they took down each beast: Each Skag; Each Rakk; Each Stalker. Before they knew it, they were walking through a large hallway, and they turned up some stairs, Lumos fearing the worst of what had become of hers and Mordecai's beloved Bloodwing. After annihilating a dozen robots, they stood next to a lift, and her heart sank as she was revealed what was on the other side.

"_Oh. My. GOD._" Mordecai's voice sounded sickly and filled with worry. "_What have they DONE?_" Lumos' heart stopped briefly when she realised what the bird was covered in a purple substance. _Slag._ She though grimly. Handsome Jack's voice echoed in their ears.

"_Just give it up, kiddo!_" Lumos now found his voice highly annoying. "_Bloodwing's got all of the elements at his disposal! Fire! Electricity! Corrosion! Slag! And … and, uh … damn. I forgot the last one. What was that again?_" Zer0 stared at the bird in slight awe, whereas Lumos' grip on her gun tightened. She was going to have to fight him, wasn't she.

"_God damn it!_" Mordecai cried. "_Just- just weaken him and I'll hit him with a tranq!"_

"_Good god …_" Roland said in awe. "_I'm sorry soldier, but you gotta beat Bloodwing down. Do what you can to save him, but if you can't …_" His voice faded, and Lumos took an uneasy glance at Zer0, who nodded once and lunged at the bird as it swooped down on them.

"_This is gonna be fine,_" Mordecai said in a hurry, "_Just gotta tranq Bloodwing, get him back to Sanctuary, and, I dunno, maybe- Maybe Zed can patch him up!_" This time Lumos took a shot at Bloodwing – she knew she'd regret it, but Bloodwing was her friend – She wanted him back with herself and Mordecai. She spotted Mordecai in the distance, staring at Bloodwing hopelessly. Lumos was filled with guilt, and prayed that Bloodwing would make it through this.

"_You're gonna regret ever dragging Bloodwing into this, Jack!_" Mordecai's voice raised. "_You're gonna watch him_ _tear your throat out!_" Handsome Jack piped in again.

"_Hehehe_." He laughed sadistically. "_That's cute_." Lumos growled in discomfort, and shot several times at the bird as he swept down on her. All friendliness had gone from his eyes; he was nothing but a raging beast – the bird his kind were. Yet deep in those crimson eyes of his, there was sadness and loneliness, and Lumos understood that whatever Blood was doing, wasn't out of his choice, but of a dark force manipulating him. He swooped upwards again, and Mordecai shouted out to the two in the ring.

"_I'm loadin' the tranq dart!"_ The gunfire in the ring ceased, and Mordecai's voice softened, yet he still seemed a little edgy. "_Traquilla, Blood – this won't hurt, I promise._" There was a moment of silence, then a single sniper shot was heard, and the bird lurched forwards, its enormous wings flapping uncoordinatedly, before it tried to land, but crashed onto the floor heavily. Lumos edged towards the bird, and began to stroke its large beak smoothly. Mordecai's voice then chipped in again, sounding much more calmer.

"_Okay. He's still alive._" Lumos' heart skipped a beat as she suddenly felt safe. "_Get the microchip from his collar and we can get him back to Sanctuary._" Bloodwing squawked quietly at Lumos, his large red eyes staring at her, all sanity back to him as he began to lose consciousness. She patted his beak, and kissed it, before murmuring.

"It's okay Blood, we'll get you back home." She pulled the microchip off of his collar, and he appeared to go rigid. The horrendous laughter of realisation from Handsome Jack pitched in, and he sounded pleased with himself; too pleased. A high pitched beeping emanated from Blood's collar, and Lumos backed away a little.

"No …" She whispered.

"_Oh, now I remember!_" Her heart stopped. "_EXPLOSIIVE!_" The beeping got more vigorous as Bloodwing stood upright, and then a sudden burst of blood, feathers and flesh covered the two, whilst Mordecai's scream could be heard without the ECHO device.

"NO!" Lumos stared at the corpse before them in silence, while Zer0 looked just as stunned. A single tear ran down her cheek, before she walked towards the bird, her feet heavy as well as her heart.

"_Blood …_" She whispered, and fell to her knees before him, before rubbing his white and grey feathers, while the tears falling down her face fell onto the mixture of blood and feathers before them. She gently pulled out one of the bigger feathers, and then the one she had picked up earlier. There was at least six inches difference. She put them in her pocket, then pulled out a second, which she kept in her hand.

"_That … is why you don't screw with me._" Jack said with amusement. "_You and your little friend Mordecai turn yourselves in, or that dumbass bird is just the beginning._" Lumos growled in frustration, and hugged the lifeless body of Bloodwing, not caring weather she got blood on her at all.

"He's such an asshole." She sobbed into the bird sodden feathers. "He took Bloodwing away from us … How could he be so heartless …" Zer0 put a hand on her shoulder, and he looked down at her. When she looked up at him, he gestured to the now open door. Roland had spoken, but Lumos had not heard a single word.

"You must see Mordecai." The Assassin murmured. "He needs you there." Lumos nodded at him, and she hesitantly left the bird, her eyes still full with tears, but a new fire filled her belly, and as she walked away from that pen, she knew she would get her revenge. That she would be the one to kill Handsome Jack.

As they left, Lumos walked a little quicker than she had previously. Bloodwing was dead. She was scared of who Handsome Jack might take next. As they hopped over a stream, Handsome Jacks voice appeared again.

"_You didn't think you were going to get out alive, did ya?_" He chuckled, and loaders appeared in front of Zer0 and Lumos – Too many of them to get down.

"_Lumos, Zer0 …_" Mordecai's voice was filled with anger and hatred, yet it was hoarse – He had, Lumos supposed, been crying. "_Get down._" Zer0 pushed her back gently, and both Vault Hunters lurched forwards into a sprint as Loaders of all kinds landed around them. The adrenaline ran through Lumos as she leapt over the bodies of struck down robots and rocks, she ran closer and closer towards Mordecai, as his rage-filled shots echoed through the air, an explosion of metal and fire to follow. Then, out of the blue, a WAR Loader smashed down in front of her, and sent her flying with one brisk sweep of his metallic arms – Before Lumos could get to her feet again, it was stood over her. Her pistol had fallen just beyond her reach, and she was lying on her sniper. She felt remorse as she gave in to its firepower - Then it exploded, and she was helped up by a stumbling Mordecai.

"Come on." He said hoarsely. "Let's get back to my home before more of those bastards get here." Mordecai walked briskly towards the rocky mountain he called home, and when they reached the top, he did nothing else but sat on the edge, his legs dangling off of the side and sighed. Lumos watched him from afar, not sure what to say or do. His hand reached up and rubbed his forehead, before he ducked his head and placed it in his hands. Lumos walked up to him silently and sat beside him, staring into the pen that the bird, whom Mordecai was best friends with, had been put down. The heavy feeling in her heart returned, and she glanced at Mordecai who only had one hand on his face. She could just see through his thick-lensed goggles, and his eyes were closed. With an unsteady hand, he reached back and fiddled with them, until they fell off of his face. It was strange – He had a perfectly symmetrical face, his cheeks were thin (Which wasn't a surprise to Lumos, considering he had nothing on him at all.), and his hair was all tied back apart from a little bit which now hung loosely over his face. He brushed it back with a shaky hand, then rubbed his eyes and laughed half-heartedly, not opening his eyes.

"Nobody's seen me like this." He murmured, a nick of sadness in his tone. "You're lucky I trust you." His eyes opened, and Lumos stared into what felt like an abyss of beautiful blue. She wondered why he hid himself away behind those goggles when he had such stunning eyes. She also noticed, in her admiration, that they were filled with tears. Something she'd never expect from him.

"He was my best friend." He murmured, looking at the ground beneath them. "My only trustworthy friend – Until I met you, of course. I've never trusted anyone by my Bloodwing." He looked into her eyes, searching for any signs of compassion. "Now you're all I have left." Those words hit Lumos like a bullet from a sniper rifle. Well aimed, and it almost made her shudder.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her heart thumping in her chest. "You have Brick, Roland and Lilith … Right?" Mordecai looked away again.

"I can't tell them anything." He sighed. "I have issues with trust. I've made mistakes before, I won't make them again." Lumos bit her lip before murmuring;

"If you want to share, go right ahead." Mordecai took a sidelong glance at her and sighed.

"Well, okay." He murmured, and thought to a long time ago. "About three years ago, I won a slaughterhouse challenge … That's where the sniper I have comes from. I also won something else – A woman named Moxxi. Mad Moxxi, if you please. We didn't last long. A month at the most. She wasn't great at all. Too skilful, nothing was new to her. However, she left me for Handsome Jack. She knew too much about me, and Jack new my weakness." He gestured bitterly to Bloodwing's pen. "I'll never make that mistake again. You're not like that though, I know that in my heart. I …" He hesitated, and shook his head. "Sorry, don't worry about that." He stood up to leave. Lumos tensed, and leapt up grabbing onto his sleeve a little too tight, and he turned to her, his azure eyes staring into her own, and they filled with questioning and slight pain.

"No," She breathed, her grip remaining on the Hunters clothing. "Tell me what you were going to say." Mordecai blushed slightly, and chuckled shyly.

"Oh, um." He searched for an answer. "I was only going to say that … Well … I respect what you've done for me. I'm sorry you had to see me like this." He turned away and walked across the stone room.

"Mordecai," Lumos called to him and jogged up to him. "Wait!" He stopped, just as she crashed into his back and hugged him. "I'm sorry this had to happen, I really am." Lumos was now crying into his back. "I can't understand what you're going through, but I can empathise. If I lost you I don't know what I'd do, I wouldn't be able to go on, I …" She stopped and her grip on him tightened. Mordecai smiled softly and turned around to hug her back.

"It's okay, Lumi." He ruffled her short blonde hair. "I ain't going anywhere, I can assure you. I wouldn't know what to do without you either. If it came to the worst … I'd avenge you." She looked up at him and his eyes were closed; as she studied his slightly grimaced expression, a tear rolled down his cheek and she brushed it aside. He opened his eyes, and he smiled down to Lumos again. As Lumos stared into his eyes, for once, she didn't understand what she felt. She wanted to be with him all the time, she wanted to be able to touch him, and feel he was there; to hear his voice when she felt alone … However, Mordecai knew how he felt. He felt exactly the same; he wanted her with him, near him, to hear her voice when he needed her, and for her to be there when he needed cheering up. He knew he was in love with her, but the worst part was how to explain it. Mordecai knew she liked him, but was there more to it than just that?

He realised, with a huge regret, that he was going to have to share his secret with someone else, and with Bloodwing gone, he only had one other option.

Lilith.


	6. PLEASE READ

I'm sorry to say that this story has been discontinued for now ... It may be reignited in the future!

If you want any knew stuff, go and check out my Red vs Blue fanfic at;

s/8717925/1/All-is-Hell-That-Ends-Well

All is appreciated! 3

-DT.x


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